30 minute meals

Easter is just around the corner an I’m already planning the menu. I love holiday food and Easter dinner is just as significant as Thanksgiving dinner, in my opinion. The dishes are different but just as delicious and often more colorful. Green salads, fruity desserts, Mom’s Cheese Potatoes with ham. Sidenote: we plan to share Mom’s cheese potatoes recipe with you as soon as we can get her to be more precise with the ingredients than “enough flour to make a roux.” Ha! Her cheese potatoes are amazing but I digress.

I love the leftovers as much as the actual meal. One food item we always have leftover (aside from oodles of boiled eggs) is ham. That’s fine by me because it provides me the opportunity to make delicious dishes with this leftover ham. Hoppin’ John is one of my favorite “leftover meals.” Not that you have to wait until you have leftovers… this Hoppin’ John is on permanent dinner rotation at my house. With a little veggie chopping and a quick simmer, this fast version of the Southern classic uses canned black-eyed peas, so no need to soak and slow-cook for hours. I love a meal that tastes like it took all day when it really only took mere minutes. ~Erin

Ingredients

1 c. finely chopped celery

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 T. olive oil

1 T. minced garlic

1 lb. smoked ham, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 (10 oz.) can mild Ro-Tel

4 cans (15.5 oz. each) black eyed peas, undrained

1 T. Creole seasoning (I used Tony Chachere’s)

Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

In large stock pot, sauté first four ingredients over medium heat until onions and peppers begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two, until fragrant.

Add all other ingredients except rice and simmer on low to medium heat for approximately 15 minutes.